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R.Williams joins exclusive club

Backup running back becomes 26th player in NFL history to amass 10,000 career rushing yards

By Edward Lee

7:00 a.m. EST, January 4, 2012

With his 10-yard run late in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 24-16 eventual win against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday evening, running back Ricky Williams became the 26th player in NFL history to amass 10,000 rushing yards in a career.

“It’s an honor,” said Williams, who rushed 108 times for 444 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season. “I didn’t think I’d be at this stage in my career, and a lot of credit goes to the teammates I’ve had in the past and now.”

In the locker room under Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, the players were unaware of Williams’ achievement until running back Ray Rice mentioned it.

“That was one that hadn’t been brought to my attention until Ray Rice brought it up there with the whole team around,” coach John Harbaugh recalled. “He said, ‘Ricky just rushed for over 10,000 career yards.’ So, of course, Ricky got called up into the middle of the circle there. He was kind of in the back. He’s a quiet guy. The team started chanting, ‘Ricky, Ricky, Ricky.’ It was really a neat moment. It was just a team moment, and we caught each other’s eye there for a minute. It’s hard to explain how valuable those things are.”